THE BUZZ

Thursday, March 31, 2011

What a great way for a DIY bride to enhance her stationery. We can help out with a stunning design and you can get creative with your invitations, envelopes, cocktail napkins, thank you cards - anything! From R200, depending on the design.

Friday, March 25, 2011

We did these cuban cigar invitations for a birthday party end of last year. Definitely something different - the cigar had a typical vintage band designed around the rolled brown paper (to resemble a cigar) - and the invitation itself was written in a letter format with a lovely messy handwriting font.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

We are placing our first order tomorrow morning at 9am for these beauties.... Let us know and you can save on courier costs, as well make use of the same courier service. But remember, we are ordering at 9am. They will sell out very fast, so hurry if you want one of these coveted bell jars. Order them, baie emailing admin@elsje.co.za of phoning 021-9767111 with your code and quantity.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

We are well into 2011 and we are thrilled about the improvements we have achieved in this our business these past weeks:

• We got the help of a consultant, Carisa Smuts (cell 083 324 5710) to assist us to simplify our business - KISS! Keep it simple, stupid. What a change she made!!! I can really recommend her business savvy combined with people skills - we loved working with her and would like to continue to do so. She also provided much needed moral support in this time of change with two new designers!

• We have improved our website and made the online shopping experience easier for all our customers from afar.

• We are Tweeting at least twice a day - giving you constant updates of what we are up to!

Friday, March 18, 2011

As you might have heard, Elsje Designs recently invested in a letterpress and foiling machine. It's still very much brand new and this will be one of our first jobs on this monster! I have just created this stunning artwork. We are sending it off to the plate maker this morning... Please hold thumbs! This particular artwork will be hot foiled in gold onto a brown paper bag. But it could also be used in future to print in any colour, including white. The quality is marvellous and we are very excited with this new venture in our portfolio. We can't wait to use it for embossing, letterpressing or hot stamp foiling.

Your event decor can be dramatically enhanced with the use of items from the Elsje Designs rental catalogue.

If you rent, it doesn't take a fortune to create the look you love. Not only are these items functional but also complementing your look. The Elsje Designs team can easily customise your stationery for these items, to fit in with your decor. Alternatively, rent the items and to add your own stationery. Many of these items can be customised to suit your needs.Listed in the catalogue are stylish ornate table numbers and frames, chic modern Roman numeral table numbers, interesting alternatives to money boxes and display items to make your table seating more fun and interactive for your guests. These items can transform your celebration and give something for your guests to talk about long after the event has passed.

Elsje Designs strive to supply products that represents the current trends within the celebration industry, aiming to provide a selection of popular or unusual items for your event decor.

For further information on having products customised or sourced, please email our studio on info@elsje.co.za or phone +27 (0) 21 976 7111.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

We recently met a very sweet girl called Maggi. She arrived at the studio with a gorgeous portfolio her cakes.

Her business is called Edible Art Cakes and she specialises in individually designed Wedding cakes. Maggi is able to fulfill any of your Wedding cake wishes and will ensure that the Wedding cake will complete your dream wedding, whether you are looking for a modern or traditional style cake.

Chocolate Wedding cakes are becoming increasingly popular and our recipe must be tasted to be appreciated! We also provides your special cake for Birthdays, Christenings, Corporate events and Anniversary cakes to complete the special occasion.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Elsje Designs is proud to welcome Mari (left) and Nita (right) to be part of our creative team. Mari studied Graphic Design at CPUT and worked for a printing company for the past two years. Nita studied at the Stellenbosch Academy of Design and Photography. After her studies she worked as a photographer (she's brilliant!) and explored the world for 2 years.

To celebrate this special occassion, we asked Maggi from Edible Art to surprise us with a decadent chocolate cake.

Elsje Designs

Hello Stellenbosch!

Change is in the air. Not only have we moved to Stellenbosch, but our focus has also moved from posh events and weddings to limited edition lifestyle décor with a proudly South African touch. Watch this space...

Inspirational Invitations

Visitors

Followers

Our Website

About Us

We are a couture design company, specializing in creating and styling exclusive event stationery such as invitations, menus, programmes, gift tags, thank-you cards, save-the-date-cards, paper art for special occasions such as weddings, 21st birthdays, wedding anniversaries, birth announcements and personalised stationery. The team consist of 8 dream team members!

Style Notes

Look for Less Tip…Figure out where you place value in your wedding…is it the flowers? the invitations? the food and wine? Then, rearrange your budget so that the emphasis is on what you love…skimp on the rest!

Our favourite photographers

The Design Process

step 1: GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER

Our first consultation is a creative meeting - our goal is to make your dream come true and design stationery that reflects your personality. Design choices including font & calligraphy options, paper, embellishments, ribbon and print techniques will be discussed. A refundable consultation fee of R300 is charged, we assure you that even if you would like to get ideas to make your own stationery, we would gladly share our secrets and give you ideas!

Alternatively, clients can also choose an existing design from our online shop - this is ideal if you are not able to meet with us at the studio.

step 2: QUOTE & DEPOSIT

Within a week we will provide you with a written quote - based on your consultation or online selection. Any additional design time spent, will be charged at our hourly rate of R300. A 50% deposit will be required to initiate the actual design process, based on your quote. Please supplyyour name as reference when you make your deposit.

step 3: ORDER FORM & WORDING SUGGESTIONS

On receipt of your deposit, we will forward an order form and a complete invitation wording manual with guidelines, etiquette and suggestions for you to compile your wording. Design will only begin after we received your completed order form.

step 4: DIGITAL MOCKUP: REVIEW & APPROVE THE PROOF

Based on your briefing we design a digital mock-up which we will e-mail to you. You will then have the opportunity to provide feedback and identify any changes you wish to make. The changes are integrated into a revised version that is submitted for your approval. Your first set of changes are free of charge, further changes will be billed at a fee of R300.00 per hour. Once you have approved the digital proof, Elsje Designs is not responsible for any future changes or mistakes.

step 5: PHYSICAL MOCKUP: FINAL APPROVAL & SIGN-OFF

After you have expressed satisfaction with the digital artwork - the layout, font, spelling and punctuation - we make a physical mock-up. Photographs will be emailed to you or can be signed off at the studio. The first mockup is free, any mockups thereafter will be billed at R250 per mockup.

step 6: PRINT, PRODUCTION & PICK-UP

Upon your final approval of the design, we will order paper and other materials for the production process to commence. We will complete work within 5 to 7 working days of receipt of your approved artwork. The balance outstanding will be due on collection of your stationery or before you arrange collection.